TVs & Audio | May 7, 2023
While Netflix loses millions of users, the rest of the streaming services are preparing to take advantage of the situation. With controversial changes to shared accounts and cancellations of series, Netflix is not having the best moment, and on top of that, it is the most expensive service.
The one that can benefit the most from all this is Amazon, which has recently reaffirmed its commitment to the Spanish market with two important announcements. First, it has acquired the rights to Triumph operation, whose next edition will be broadcast both as a gala and on a dedicated television channel exclusively for the program. Second, it has revived the classic Humor Amarillo that dominated screens in its day, with a new edition that will also feature Spanish dubbing.
But content may not be enough to beat Netflix, which still produces some of the most talked-about series and movies on social media. That’s why Amazon’s true ace in the hole may lie in free content, which it already offers in other countries but has not yet arrived in Spain.
You may not know this, but Amazon has a second streaming service called Freevee, which as its name suggests, focuses solely on offering free content with ads. Freevee is independent to not “devalue” Prime Video, which comes included with an Amazon Prime subscription, but apart from that, it’s essentially free Prime Video; its content comes directly from that platform.
In fact, Amazon has confirmed that more than 100 “Amazon Originals,” the company’s own productions, will also begin to arrive on Freevee; although in some cases, they are only the first episodes of the series, while in other cases, they are complete series. Unfortunately, Freevee is currently only available in the United States, but its launch in the rest of the world has been rumored.
In addition to that, this week Amazon announced the launch of Fire TV Channels, exclusive TV channels for Fire TV users. They will appear as a new option in the interface of our smart TV or Fire TV device and will have various themes such as cooking, sports, video games, or viral videos. Access to these channels will be free as long as we do it through Fire TV, but it does not require an Amazon account.
If Amazon really wants to “deliver the blow” to Netflix, it should also launch all this free content in Spain. Netflix also has a subscription with ads, but it does not eliminate the monthly payment and has serious limitations compared to the conventional basic subscription. If Amazon starts offering free channels and access to its productions without having to pay, it may be the “wake-up call” that “awakens” many users.
